External female genitalia of Triatoma jatai , Triatoma costalimai and Triatoma williami (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatomi
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External female genitalia of Triatoma jatai, Triatoma costalimai and Triatoma williami (Hemiptera: Reduviidae: Triatominae) Simone Caldas Teves1* , Teresa Cristina Monte Gonçalves1, Simone Patrícia Carneiro de Freitas2, Catarina Macedo Lopes1, Ana Laura Carbajal‑de‑la‑Fuente3,4 and Jacenir Reis dos Santos‑Mallet1,5
Abstract Background: Taxonomic identification of triatomines is generally performed based on aspects of their external mor‑ phology. However, the use of a multidisciplinary approach, considering morphological aspects of the external genita‑ lia, morphometry, genetics, and phylogeography has been suggested, especially for similar and/or cryptic species. The rupestral species Triatoma jatai Gonçalves et al., 2013, Triatoma costalimai Verano & Galvão, 1959 and Triatoma williami Galvão et al., 1965, which are morphologically similar, have been found naturally infected with Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909) in wild, peridomestic, and intradomestic environments, representing a risk of new outbreaks of Chagas disease. This study presents morphological description complementation of these species, with an emphasis on the structures of the female external genitalia, using scanning electron microscopy. Methods: The females of T. jatai and T. costalimai (n = 10 of each) were captured in the Brazilian municipalities of Paranã and Aurora do Tocantins and were identified with the use of a dichotomous key for the Matogrossensis sub‑ complex. Females of T. williami (n = 5), were obtained from a laboratory colony. The females were cut transversely at the sixth abdominal segment and examined under scanning electron microscopy (SEM) at the Oswaldo Cruz/Fiocruz Institute Electronic Microscopy Platform. Results: It was possible to differentiate the three species based on the characteristics of urotergites VII, VIII and IX and urosternite VII, as well as the genital plaques, gonocoxites, and gonapophyses. To our knowledge, morphological dif‑ ferences in the spines present on gonapophysis 8 in triatomines are described here for the first time. Conclusions: The results show that external genitalia of females are useful structures to differentiate T. costalimai, T. jatai and T. williami. SEM analysis contributes to and corroborates, together with other tools morphological and molecular, the distinction of the three species. Keywords: Triatomines, Taxonomy, Genitalia, Scanning electron microscopy
*Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Laboratório Interdisciplinar de Vigilância Entomológica em Diptera e Hemiptera, Instituto Oswaldo Cruz - Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
Background Triatomines are insect vectors of the Trypanosoma cruzi (Chagas, 1909), the causative agent of Chagas disease. It is estimated that about 6–8 million people are infected with T. cruzi worldwide, with the highest number of cases in Latin America [1]. According to data from the Brazilian Ministry of Health, there are approximately
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